Atton and Exile Short Stories
by Bria Tharen
Summary: This piece was inspired by Anrui Yuy's "Atton's Shorts." The story is told from Atton's POV. Some Atton/Mical competition, as well as Atton/Exile romance.
1. After Korriban

**This story was inspired by Anrui Yuy's "Atton's Shorts." I really liked how she told the story without giving the exile the name her character used, and I wanted to write the story the same way- so anyone can relate to it. To read the original, type in "/s/3330336/1/Attons_Shorts" after the .net**

I tapped my foot nervously. _Where was she?_ She had been inside the Sith Academy far too long. Trying to ignore the thoughts brewing in my mind, I went back to playing Pazzak.

Bao-Dur's voice came over the comlink. "The General has returned with Visas and Mandalore. Mical is attending to them in the medbay."

I jumped up, overjoyed that they had made it back alright. When I got to the medbay, Visas and Mandalore were standing outside. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Is she"-

"He got her worst of all," Mandalore replied. "Visas was able to heal herself, but the Exile collapsed almost as soon as we got into the Hawk."

"Speaking of which… Atton, Shouldn't you be-

I ignored him, barging into the medbay. Blondie stood over her, examining her injuries. He looked up when he saw me enter, surprise flooding his face.

"Atton? What are you"-

She looked awful. Bruises decorated her body, accompanied by several burns from a lightsaber. She looked like-

She looked like a Jedi that I had just finished torturing.

I was hit with a wave of sickness, as memories came flooding back to me. I remembered when Kreia had given me the illusion that I had become my former self.

I bolted from the medbay. Stumbling through the ship, I reached the cockpit.

_You fool_, I thought to myself, _you just ran off, leaving her in a half naked state with Blondie._

Shaking off the feelings of nausea, I walked calmly back to the medbay.

"Where do you think you are going?"

I turned to see Kreia, glaring at me.

"To see her," I said, and turned around. Before I could take another step, she spoke again.

"I do not think that is wise."

I had a sarcastic response on the tip of my tongue, but as I remembered the vision the hag had bestowed me with, so I bit my tongue. "Why not?"

"You are going to tell her how you feel." It was not a question; she was stating it as though it was a fact.

"Yes." Why did she care?

"Atton, it is not about me… When I show you this, it is in your best interest."

Suddenly, I was no longer staring at Kreia. I was in the medbay, looking at Mical and the Exile. He gazed intently into her eyes, and she leaned forward until their faces were less than a breath apart. Then he touched her cheek, something I ached to do. I tried to shut my eyes, to keep from seeing him kiss her, what should have been MY kiss. Too late. The image was etched into my mind, a scar. His hand drifted to her robe…

Kreia must have taken pity on me, because a second later, I was once again looking at the sight I had once hated most, but was now a relief to see. I sullenly turned around and walked back to the cockpit.

I tried to get the image out of my mind, but was unsuccessful. Finally, I drifted off into a restless sleep.

_The exile, dressed in all white, was walking down the aisle toward a grinning Mical. They joined hands, as the Twi'lek priest wed them. Then the priest said, "you may kiss the bride, and the two leaned forward…_

_The next scene was on Alderaan. Mical and the Exile sat on a bench. Two small children, a boy and a girl with golden blonde hair ran towards them._

_"Mommy! Look what I found," the little girl cried. She held up her prize, a pink colored shell._

_"Oh, its beautiful honey," the exile said. She then reached out to tuck a stray strand of blonde curl behind her ear. The little girl grinned and jumped onto Disciple's lap. "Isn't it pretty, Daddy?"_

_The little girl looked into his eyes with innocence so recognizable, it was scary. The little boy crawled into his mother's lap, and shyly pressed his cheek against her shoulder. He, too, bore a remarkable resemblance to his mother._

_Then there was a bedroom. The exile was in Mical's arms, and she leaned forward to kiss him. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, while his arms ran down her back. They began ripping each other's clothes off, until-_

I awoke with a jolt. Knowing after a dream like that, there was no way I would be able to get back to sleep, so I walked into the galley. Pouring myself a cup of caffe, I headed towards the main cabin, to see Disciple already there.

"Oh! Why hello, Atton! You're up early!"

I grunted, not looking in his direction. Finally, though, I had to ask. "How is she?"

"Well," he replied. "Frankly, not much better since when you saw her. I have had her sedated for the past seven hours, but she still looks like she is in pain. I don't know what"-

"Wait," I interrupted. "What did you just say?"

"She still looks like she is in pain, and I don't know what to do to help her."

"No. Before that."

"Oh. I have had her sedated for the past seven hours-  
"Do you remember when I last saw her?"

"Yes, about seven hours ago. I gave her the anesthetic shortly after you left."

_Seven hours… Dammit! Kreia lied to me!_ I thought. Of course, why should I have been surprised? She used the force to trick me before… why hadn't the idea she had tricked me again occurred to me? _Well, she is right about one thing, Atton- you certainly are the fool._

"Thanks, Mical," I said as I stood up, faking a yawn. "I think I'll go back to bed now."

"Now?" he said, puzzled. "Well, good luck. The caffa you drank will"-

His voice trailed off as I hurried towards Kreia's room. _Better hope that she's awake, or I might kill her in her sleep. Chances are pretty good that she can sense me coming, though._

I burst through the door, not bothering to knock. "Why, Kreia? Why did you see fit to do this to me?"

Her voice remained even, impassive. "What now, fool?"

I growled in frustration. "You know what- why did you make me believe that Mical had kissed her?"

Kreia didn't even turn around. "You were already halfway to that conclusion yourself, I only had to give it a little nudge in the right direction."

I was getting impatient. "That's not an answer- I mean why would you want me to believe Mical had kissed her? Why did you want to stop me from going to see the exile?"

She sighed. "I will answer, but not because I care if you understand. You are hardly important; you would only get in the way."

I was insulted. My abilities had come a long way since I had first joined this crazy mission.

"Not physically- I know even your abilities, though hardly developed, will be useful somehow. I am referring to any emotional attachment you might form with the exile. She is soon to face several upcoming trials, and forming a bond with you would only distract her, give her more to worry about than she already has."

I pondered this briefly. "Wasn't the Jedi Master on Korriban the last we needed to find?"

Kreia gave a wry smile. "How observant. Yes, we will have to go back to Dantooine where she will have to face the Jedi."

"Face them? But she hasn't harmed any of them-"

"I have answered your question, fool. Now leave me be." Kreia responded sharply.

I cast one final glare at her, then turned and walked towards the cockpit. On my way I looked into the medbay. _Atton, Kreia is right- best to let her focus on what lies ahead._

I cast one longing glance at the door, and then walked back to the cockpit.


	2. Force Bond

**_This is the second chapter to "Atton and Exile Short Stories." This one is a lot longer than the first one; the next chapter probably won't be so long. Enjoy!_**

As she stumbled into the _Ebon Hawk_, she tripped and fell. Mical caught her, and attempted to guide her into the medbay. "No, I'm fine," she gasped. "Just need to sit down."

We gathered around her in the main hold. "What happened?" I demanded. "Why would the Jedi attack you? You didn't harm any of them!" My fists clenched at my sides. _Those Jedi bastards…_

She looked up at me. "It wasn't the Jedi, Atton."

Suddenly I realized that there wasn't a steady stream of insults coming at me. "Where's Kreia?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Mandalore asked. "She disposed of the Jedi witch once and for all." He touched the Exile's shoulder, careful of her many wounds. "Nice going."

The Exile shook her head. "No- even if I had wanted to, I couldn't have. I have a bond with her- if she dies, I die." She shook her head. "The Jedi and I didn't get a chance to work anything out. Kreia came and wiped them all out. She used the Force to"- her voice cracked. "I have never seen anything so powerful." She shuddered. "Then she did the same to me. Except I recovered."

"How did that frail old woman have the power to destroy three Jedi Masters all by herself?" Mandalore said skeptically.

"She's not frail or old anymore. I think that was just a disguise to cover up her much more powerful- and dangerous- self," the Exile replied.

"What now?" Bao-Dur asked.

The Exile looked unsure. It threw me off balance to see that our fearless leader, the young general, was having an attack of doubt. "Well… there is only one other Jedi still alive. Atris. She may know where Kreia went."

I did not like where this was going. "We just got rid of the witch, and now you want to find her again? Why? It seems like she did us a big favor by leaving. We shouldn't take that for granted."

Mira snorted. The Exile glared at me. "Atton- we don't know where Kreia stands. If Kreia is Sith, than she has to be dealt with. But if she is not, than she might pose an even bigger threat than the Sith alone do. She may not be an enemy at all. We don't know what she is.

"We don't know?! How can we not know?! I considered Kreia an enemy before, but I think she made it pretty clear that she definitely opposing us. Look what she did to you! Lightsaber burns, bruises- WHAT ELSE COULD SHE BE?!?!"

The Exile regarded me coolly. "Be as that may, we don't know whose side she is on. We can't jump to conclusions."

Mical spoke up. "I agree with Atton- I think her motives are pretty clear. Kreia needs to be dealt with."

I looked at him, surprised. I decided that he secretly had some juma juice stashed somewhere on the Hawk, and he was sneaking some when the rest of us weren't looking. That could be the only cause of his agreeable behavior.

She looked at us sadly. "That may be true. We may have to deal with her, one way or another. At any cost."

I suddenly remembered the Force bond. "You don't think"- She shook her head, silencing me. "It doesn't matter. We'll deal with that when the time comes. For now"- she nodded towards the cockpit- "Set course for Telos."

I obliged, and a few hours later we were flying over the Northern Regions. The Docking Bay was already open, although they were expecting us. It gave me the creeps.

Not the Exile. A few hours of rest had left her fully recovered. She clipped her lightsaber to her belt, and walked confidently down the ramp.

I had the urge to run after her. To go with her, to protect her. I sensed, as I am sure the Exile did, that there was a dark presence here. Believe me; I have experienced enough darkness to recognize it when I see it. There was something corrupted inside, something reveling in its own dark power. I remembered when I had felt like that, and Jaq threatened to overtake me. I fought him back down inside me, and I concentrated on meditating, trying to see what was going on inside the snow academy.

I'm not sure if I fell asleep, or if I actually had a vision, but either way, a picture of what was going on formed in my head.

The Exile and Atris drew their lightsabers. Atris's mouth formed what looked like a battle cry, and charged at the Exile. The Exile blocked her blows, but Atris succeeded in burning the Exile's side. Her face twisted into a pained expression, and she lunged again. Exile blocked the blow of her lightsaber, and struck back. Electricity shot from the Exile's hand, but just enough for Atris to drop her lightsaber in defeat. The Exile began to question Atris, who was clutching her side. Atris seemed to think the Exile would kill her at any given moment, but she didn't. Atris stood up and walked over to the Sith holocrons that lined her chamber. After a brief search, Atris activated one of the holocrons. A man clothed in black appeared, and began speaking while the Exile and Atris listened patiently. When he was finished, Atris deactivated the holocron. The Exile used the Force to heal a few of Atris's wounds, gave her a nod goodbye, and walked out of the chamber. A voice appeared in my mind.

"Relax, Atton. I'm coming back."

The voice startled me out of my trance. I shook my head, and went to meet the Exile. I was curious to know what Atris had told her.

I found her in the cockpit, reprogramming our destination. I sat down in the pilot's seat, and casually began to fiddle with the controls. After a few moments, my curiosity got the best of me. "Well?" I asked. "What did Atris have to say?"

She glanced at me. "Didn't you hear?"

I shook my head. "No, I could only see what was going on."

She nodded. "I meant to congratulate you on that, by the way. Force visions are often very hard to obtain. Some are never very good at it. At the rate you're progressing, however, you should be able to see and hear everything that takes place, more often than others."

I shrugged. After a minute, I tried again. "So? What did she tell you?"

She sighed. "Nothing I didn't already expect, unfortunately."

I wasn't sure whether to press the issue or just let it be. "Which was?"

She sighed again.

I waited.

"If Kreia dies, I die."

I gaped in disbelief at her.

"Well, isn't there some way we could get around it?" I asked hopefully. Please say there's another way; please say there's another way…

She started to shake her head. "Well"- She paused. "There is something we could do. I asked Atris if she knew how to sever the bond, and she consulted one of the Sith holocrons."

I nodded. That must have been what the man in black had been talking about.

"It told us that a Force bond cannot be severed"-

My heart fell.

-"It can be transferred to someone else, though."

My heart leaped into my throat. Until I thought of Mical. Or Visas. I wasn't the only force-user on this ship, and either one of them was far more likely to have a bond with her than I was.

"Well, anybody's better than that old witch."

"I learned a lot from Kreia, Atton. She taught me a lot."

I scowled. "Sure. 'How to be Manipulative 101."'

Her face darkened. "You know, Atton, just because YOU didn't like Kreia doesn't mean that I didn't! Sure, she may be cryptic and condescending sometimes, but I learned a lot from her. A lot of things that I taught you, in fact!"

"Oh believe me, sister- I knew PLENTY of Jedi tricks before I met you."

"No, you knew only knew two things: how to kill Jedi, and how to run away afterwards."

She instantly regretting saying it, I could tell. That didn't stop me. Infuriated, I crushed her against a wall, Jaq cheering inside of me. Hell, I may have turned into Jaq. All I knew anymore was my own fury. I growled into her ear. "You're right- that is all I know how to do."

I bestowed upon her one of the worst tortures a Jedi can have. I have never experienced it, but it supposedly makes you feel like every bone inside your body is exploding into a million pieces. Just an illusion, of course, but very effective for interrogations. I released my hold on her, and she slumped to the floor.

Before I could apologize for what I had done, she shakily stood to her feet and walked out of the cockpit. I sunk into the chair. Krest. Way to go, Atton- now she's really going to want to bond with you.

Mira came into the cockpit. Great. Just great.

"Hey Atton."

I looked at the redhead. "Whadda want?"

She was unnerved by my harsh tone. "Oh, not much. Just wanted to talk."

"What about?"

She snorted. "Boy, I sound like the Exile, but I just wanted to get to know you. You and I probably have a lot in common."

Doubt it. "I don't think so."

She shrugged. "Well, more than anyone else on this ship. More than I have with Goldie-Locks.

I snorted in amusement. That was a good one. Too bad I hadn't thought of it.

"What is his deal, anyway? Is he like, going for "Most upstanding citizen of the year" or something?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, but whatever it is, it's working for him. The Exile is obviously charmed by it."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"She is in love with him or something."

Mira looked at me as though I was a dancing kath hound. "Uh, no she's not. What gave you that idea?"

"The two of them have a lot in common. I don't see why not."

She laughed. "Jealous, are we?"

I shot her a look. "No."

She laughed harder. When she was able to control herself again, she said, "Look, I don't know what you mean. The two of you have more in common, actually. Both of you have dark pasts, while Mical is a model citizen. If he ever decided he wanted to become a Jedi, they'd probably accept him with open arms."

I tightened my grip on the control board. "Which is exactly why she likes him so much. He is exactly what she wants to be."

She laughed. "Whatever you say, Atton. I'm just going off of what I know."

"Well, what do you know?"

She grinned mischievously. "Well, I make my own… observations. Listen to conversations. I get a little restless, being on the ship with nothing to do."

I shrugged. "So?" I was more than a little curious, but I didn't want to act overeager, or else she might try and up the ante for this information."

"Well, I was talking to the Exile, and I asked her if she and Mical had, you know, 'hooked up a power coupling."'

I nodded. I was very familiar with this lingo.

"She just looked at me as if I were speaking huttese. I asked her later if the two of you had hooked up a power coupling," Mira paused for dramatic effect, "and she turned bright red, and dodged the question." The redhead grinned wickedly. "So did you?"

I hardly heard her. "Uh, what?"

"I asked you if you had hooked up a power coupling."

I thought of all the times I had fantasized about her. How I had dreamed of her being in my arms. How I had imagined what it would feel like to have her lips on mine. We might as well have, since she could see straight into my head anyway. "No," I said, wistfully.

"Oh." Mira seemed almost disappointed. "Well, alright. See you then, Atton."

I went back to playing Pazzak. Double the seven, flip the three…

A few hours later, I was sitting alone in the cockpit, staring out at the stars. The Exile came up, quietly behind me. I didn't realize she was there until I heard her voice in my head.

Are you mad at me?

I was shocked. What did I have to be mad at her for? I was the one who had hurt her. "Why would I be mad at you?"

I guess she decided she was safe, and she walked over and sat down next to me. "Well, I must have said something to make you really mad."

I thought back to our argument. No, you knew only knew two things: how to kill Jedi, and how to run away afterwards. I swallowed a lump in my throat. I wasn't angry any more, just sad. Sad that she thought of me that way, and sad that I had proved her point afterwards. "Well, it wasn't that big a deal."

She shook her head. "No, it was. I said something to upset you, and I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that." Her brow furrowed. "Why did it upset you so much? I have never seen you so angry."

I began to tremble. Tears began to roll down my face. I had never wanted her to see me like that, never wanted her to think that I was some kind of monster…

"Atton! What's wrong?"

I started to sob. "I am so sorry. I'm sorry that I hurt you. I- I shouldn't have gotten out of control like that." I buried her head into her shoulder. She clutched my head into her chest."

"No, Atton, it's okay! I'm alright, see!"

I looked at her. She looked so small, so fragile. Yet she was strong, stronger than any Jedi I had ever met. I don't think I would have been able to break her.

I cleared my throat. "Well, see, I did awful things to those Jedi. Things like what I did to you. I would get information… information for the Sith. So many young Jedi would die by my hand. I enjoyed it too. I got a high from it. While I was working for the Sith, I called myself Jaq. Now he is part of me, and is always threatening to become me again." I swallowed "If I could, I would die a thousand times for those Jedi." My voice cracked, and she hugged me harder.

"Atton…" her voice trailed off. "We all have our own demons to escape. I had to"- She paused. "I had to give the order for thousands of people, of my own troops, to die every day. Their blood was on my hands. Then I would get up, and do it all over again."

I understood what Mira meant when she said that the Exile and I had more in common than she and Mical did. Which reminded me… "Were you able to bond with Visas… or Mical?"

She shook her head. "No. We tried, but it didn't work. I guess I am not as close to them as…" she trailed off. "As I am to you."

I suddenly realized that I was still hugging her. I looked in her eyes, and she licked her lips. Leaning closer, I brushed my lips against hers. Our lips locked together, and she nervously put her hand on my shoulder. Encouraged, I pulled her closer. She opened her mouth to me, and I moaned. The kiss began to accelerate. I felt electricity shoot between the two of us. Her lips burned on mine, her body became hot, yet I pulled her closer still. Our bodies merged, the two becoming one. She gasped, and her hands ran up my neck into my hair.

Suddenly, we fell apart. We were both lying on the floor, on opposite sides of the cockpit, as though some invisible force had pushed us apart. "What- what just happened?" She murmured.

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you feel it? The electricity, the heat?"

"Well, yeah."

"And does that strike you as normal?"

I stared at her, trying to grasp what she was trying to say. "Are you saying that we"-

"I don't know." She pondered this for a minute, and then got up on her knees. "Come here."

Happy to be close to her again, I obliged. I followed suit, and crouched on my knees. She reached out and touched my cheek.

Nothing happened. Her hand was cool against my face. She jerked back as though I had burned her. I looked at her, hurt. "It's not you Atton- I can't feel Kreia anymore."

"Well… that's a good thing, right? Now she can be destroyed, and you won't die too."

She jumped up, and started pacing. "No… no! I wasn't- I can't- She threw herself against the wall of the cockpit.

Startled, I stood up. She continued to pace back in forth. Maybe she doesn't like being bonded with you. Jaq spoke up helpfully. I mentally hit him.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She looked very nervous. "Atton… now if I die while fighting Kreia, you'll die too."

I shook my head. "Wait a minute! I'm going with you to fight Kreia."

She shook her head. "You can't. I won't let you."

"What do you mean, you won't? It won't matter. Because if you don't beat Kreia, then I'll die too. If I go with you, we'll have a better chance against Kreia!"

She considered this for a moment, and sighed. "Whatever. We'll deal with it later."

**Kind of an unusual way to end it, I know, but I am not really sure where this story is going. Should I write another chapter? I am not sure if I should follow them through the rest of the game, or whether that would ruin it for everybody else. The ending would probably be romantic, and not end with the Exile going off to the unknown regions without Atton.**


	3. From Her Eyes

**I apologize because this one might be confusing. I was trying to portray what it was like for Atton to be seeing things from the Exile's point of view, like Kreia was able to when she and the Exile were bonded. (In the last story, the Exile "transferred" her bond to Atton.) I italicized what Atton was seeing from the Exile's point of view, and left everything Atton saw in normal print. So, though the italics print is in first person, it's only because I assumed Atton would see things from the Exile's eyes. I hope it makes enough sense so you can at least understand it.**

I shook my head. How had I agreed to this? Visas, Mandalore, and the Exile had left to go for the Ravanger. Without me!

We had been heading for the turbolift, when Visas announced that she wanted to fight her old Master alongside the Exile, who had allowed her to accompany them. Then Mandalore arrived, and since he was the one who was supplying the proton charges that they would use to blow the Ravanger, I got booted out of the party.

It's not that Visas isn't fully force trained as well, but since I'm the one bonded to her, doesn't it seem more appropriate that I be the one there with her? I mean, my life is in her hands, so it only seems fair that I get a fair shot before I suddenly just drop to the ground, dead. Her reasoning was that I had not experienced a force bond before, so I should stay on the ship and "accustom myself to what it feels like." Or maybe she just doesn't want me along. Either way, I have no real choice.

I seated myself in the cockpit, and tried to focus on seeing her. At first, nothing happened. Then an image began to form in my mind. No, that's not really accurate. I began to see as though I was actually there, in first person point of view. The thing was, I couldn't move. I wasn't controlling my feet, and my head wouldn't turn the way I wanted it to. It was like I was trapped in someone else's body.

The room was in flames. I moved forward, into another room, one that was not in flames. Suddenly Sith began surging forward, brandishing blaster rifles. I drew my blue lightsaber, and started swinging. Wait. Blue lightsaber? My lightsaber was green. So this person must have a blue lightsaber… the Exile! I was seeing things from her eyes. Well, that would make sense, wouldn't it? I chided myself. Only three of your companions are on that ship, and you aren't bonded to Visas or Mandalore.

Now I was in another part of the ship. The side had been ripped off. I moved forward to place a charge. A voice sounded in my ear.

"There's the first proton charge, Mandalore. Three more to go."

"Great. How are things where you are?" I heard myself say.

"A little rough, but we're holding up alright."

"All right. Stay in touch," I replied.

I shut off the comlink, and continued my explorations of the ship.

After a few hours, and a few Sith troopers later, we came to a chamber. Visas paused, and requested that we stop so she could "center herself." What??? Absolutely not, I thought. "Of course," I said instead.

Visas disappeared inside the room for about 20 minutes before reemerging. I could sense waves of calm and confidence in her aura. "Thank you," she said. "I needed to do that. I am at peace now."

At one point, we stopped at a locked door. I sliced the door open, and inside was a very familiar face.

"Commander Tobin!" I gasped.

He looked evil now, tainted by the dark side. He made that clear, as he began to speak of how it changed him, and how this universal being on the ship was unstoppable. Frankly, I had my doubts as well. Yet I heard myself speak in a tone of determination and persuasion that could convince even the most suspicious being, convincing Commander Tobin to aid us.

We continued on, fighting our ways through more enemies. Just as we reached the last location, our Mandalorian aid radioed us, and they were taken out. We needed to find another charge. Luckily I remembered where we had last seen one. This time, my body seemed to be in tune with my mind as we headed towards the weapons control room. I retrieved the extra proton charge, and brought it to the final location.

When we got close to the bridge, Visas decided I was ready to face her former Master. She told me to prepare myself for the trial that lay ahead. I took a moment to calm myself, and be in touch with the force. Then, we advanced to the bridge.

He was like nothing I had seen before. No wonder Visas feared and obeyed him so. He donned a black cloak, and wore some sort of mask. The Sith Lord spoke in some sort of tongue I could not understand. It sent shivers down my spine. It was dark and whispery, and seemed to consume me.

We drew our lightsabers, and began to fight. Despite the darkness, I had never felt so calm, so at peace. Strengthened by the Exile and Visas' light power, I felt whole. I was complete.

The battle was obviously getting to me physically, however. At one point, however, we realized Visas had an advantage, and we were able to finish the Dark Lord off. Visas knelt next to her old Master's body, and did something imperceptible. The Dark Lord disappeared, leaving only a cold spot where is corpse had been.

The crew on the bridge was still there. There faces were ghastly white, and they seemed to be in some sort of trance. I attempted to bring them out of their spell, but they did not respond to me. I mentally pleaded with the Exile to leave; the ship would destruct soon. Luckily Mandalore nudged her forward, and the trio hurried to get off the ship.

I didn't allow myself to slip out of my trance until I was able to see that she was safely back on Telos. Unfortunately, some pompous Republic General wanted an audience with the Exile.

Mical entered the cockpit. I tried to make it look like I was busy, fiddling with various instruments. He didn't get the message, obviously, and came over and sat down in the co-pilot's chair.

"She safe?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She'll be alright."

He paused. "Atton… you and I have never really gotten along."

I continued fiddling with the controls. If all he was going to do was make obvious statements such as that, I could find better things to do.

"You know, I don't hold ill will towards you."

No, that wasn't surprising. He didn't hold "ill will" towards almost anyone, even those who had bad feelings for him. Including me.

"Do you love her?"

Huh? Where did that come from?

"I assume we're talking about the Exile." I said.

He nodded. "Well, maybe not LOVE, but you know- care for." He clarified.

Well, that was a no-brainer. Of course I did. "Do you?" I questioned.

He sighed. "I do, Atton. I admire her deeply."

Not really the same thing, I thought. You could admire almost anyone. Your mother, father, a brother or sister. Your grandmother, your teacher… I winced as I thought of Kreia.

"So where does that leave us?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't want it to interfere with our friendship, but I don't intend to back down."

I almost laughed. I had never heard the Disciple speak so forcefully. "Neither do I. And as for our friendship…" I had to stife back a chuckle. "Don't worry about it."

"So no hard feelings, either way?"

If I get her, then no. If you get her, than maybe. "Let's just leave it at that."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Atton. I could never sleep at night with something like that tugging on my conscience."

Try living in my mind. "You're welcome." Just not here, you're not. "And Mical…"

"Yes, Atton?"

"If I have anything to say about it, you wouldn't have had anything on your conscience to begin with."

He seemed confused. "Uh… alright, Atton. Sleep well."

"You too."

As Mical left, the Exile walked in. She looked surprised. "Were you… did you and Mical…" she looked dazed. "What was that about?"

I shrugged modestly. "Eh, I just wanted to clear the air."

She smiled. "Aw… that was so gentlemanly of you, Atton."

I grinned. "You bet."

She leaned into me, and from the moment her lips met mine, I knew that I would have no hard feelings to worry about towards Mical. She put her hands on my cheeks, and I tentatively pushed her mouth open with my tongue. She responded with soft little gasps, and ran her hands down my back. I pulled her into me, desperately wanting to take her clothes off-

She broke away, looking sheepish. "Ahem… We'd- I'd, uh, better go to bed. I just wanted to say, Atton, that you really helped me today. Feeling your presence in my mind strengthened me, and I kinda liked the feeling." She looked at the floor. "As selfish as that might be."

I shook my head vehemently. "No! It's not selfish. I wanted to be there. With you, I mean."

She nodded. "I want to take you with me… but I can't."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to have to watch you die."

I tightened my jaw. "What, you don't think I'm strong enough to face a Dark Jedi?"

"It's not the Sith we'll be facing next time… it's Kreia. And the one who fears her… Sion."

I clutched her possessively. "I will go with you. I want to be there with you. If I can help you mentally, I'll be able to help you even more physically."

She seemed to be staring at something over my shoulder. "We'll see, Atton."

I kissed her again. She broke off. "I was serious before, Atton. I'm really tired. She hugged me, than walked off towards the starboard dormitory.

I suddenly was struck with a crazy idea. Waiting until she was in her room, I focused on seeing from her eyes.

I was in the starboard dorm, where Kreia had once slept. I slipped my robe from my shoulders, slipped off my tunic, and hugged myself to keep warm. As I bent over to pick up my robe from the floor, I could almost see my bare chest-

"ATTON!"

Smiling, I leaned back into the pilot's chair.


End file.
